


seizing the unemployment

by myungung



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, Post-Graduation, light fluff?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-12 03:27:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10481052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myungung/pseuds/myungung
Summary: Jinyoung meets a new barista at his usual haunt, communicating via post-its with his new crush.





	

The alarm rings. Jinyoung picks up his phone and takes a look at the time. It is only 10am. He snoozes the alarm and cocoons himself back inside the warmth of his blanket. The radiance emanating from the windows do not deter his slumber. It takes Jinyoung another 30 minutes and multiple snoozes before he gets up unwillingly. He takes his phone and scrolls through his notifications. Nothing of importance, and no missed calls from seemingly important numbers.

It has been 3 months since Jinyoung has been living his life aimlessly. Still unemployed and having no future in sight, Jinyoung wonders if he has been wasting away all this while. They said to pursue your interests, things will eventually fall into place nicely. But having graduated with an arts degree, the rosy outlook that he was promised is definitely not in sight. Jinyoung changes out of his pyjamas, fitting into a plain tee and a pair of sweatpants. The same pair that he has been wearing for the past two days. Jinyoung convinces himself that nobody cares about what he wears, nor would they suspect that he has not washed this pair for some time. Grabbing his trusty black cap, Jinyoung heads out for some grub.

The daily routine starts once again. Getting a toast set, with his trusty Americano to start off the day. Jinyoung lines up at the café patiently, scanning his surroundings. The regulars of the café are in position today, from the ahjussi reading his papers at the corner of the store to the young working couple having breakfast in silence hooked on to their devices. There is a silent acknowledgement of the fellow patrons as their eyes meet. Jinyoung moves up the queue to order, greeting the staff with a cheery smile. The order goes smoothly, and Jinyoung moves in an orderly fashion to wait. He peers into the staff area, finding a new barista today.

Curiosity piqued, Jinyoung tries to catch a glimpse of how the new guy looks like. A mop of auburn hair under the black cap (hygiene purposes of course), with a lanky frame fitted in an all-black combination. The new barista still has his back facing Jinyoung, as he busies himself brewing the orders.

“Toast set with an Americano for Mr. J!” shouts the new barista as he places the order on the counter. He quickly turns around and continues with his work.

“Erm, thanks?” Jinyoung stutters as he collects his food. Finding his usual spot, Jinyoung settles himself in and continues spying on the new barista. He has not registered the new face, nor has he found out his name. Jinyoung forgoes the daily routine of scrolling through his phone and eating, instead focusing his attention on this new guy.

With his food all finished, Jinyoung has not figured the name of the barista. Instead, he has cracked a few quirks of the new face. The stranger does not seem all that chatty, preferring to keep a brief transaction with customers, calling for their orders without engaging in small talk. Even with the other staff around, his lips are often sealed, just smiling and nodding along to their conversations whenever there was a breather.

Jinyoung has exhausted his reasons to loiter around in the café anymore, and he definitely does not want to seem creepy for spying on the café staff the whole morning. Besides, he was off schedule for his daily routine. Next destination was the convenience store, to grab the daily paper and look for any possible opportunities in it. Along the way, he talks to the neighbourhood ahjummas and ahjussis he meets, asking about their day. Keeping to a routine prevents Jinyoung from feeling restless, and it helps him stay grounded as he whiles the days away.

Heading back, Jinyoung turns on the computer and starts looking for more jobs. He does not find anything worthwhile applying. No replies from any potential employers too. Jinyoung juggles between looking at his phone and playing games on the computer. Once every few days, he attempts to head to the nearby gym to keep himself in condition. With that, Jinyoung’s day is almost over.

Jinyoung retires into his sheets, thinking about the encounter with the new barista. His interest in this new guy was piqued, and he could not pinpoint why. The mystery surrounding him puzzled Jinyoung.

 

***

 

Another day, another snooze on the alarm. Jinyoung wrestles with the urge to fall back asleep once again. No calls or messages from any companies once again. Jinyoung changes into something more presentable today as he anticipates his meeting with the fresh face once again. He carries his laptop along with him today, expecting himself to stay longer in the café post-breakfast. Stepping out, the gloomy weather adds an incentive to stay indoors.

Jinyoung settles his belongings at his usual spot, and heads off to order. He does not spot the brown-haired male today, resigning himself to whiling his breakfast away with his phone. It starts pouring. Jinyoung looks out and considers his options for the day. The laptop would definitely come in handy for now. Social media, job portals, news websites, and the like flashes with the passing of time. Jinyoung, still glued to his seat, awaits the weather to calm down. No way is he going to get wet with all his belongings today.

“May I clear this?” a voice Jinyoung was unaccustomed to entered the pathways of his eardrums. Jinyoung looked up, and there was the barista he had been anticipating.

“Eh, sure. Go ahead,” Jinyoung paused, unsure of what to say next.

The barista carried on with his work, clearing the remnants of Jinyoung’s order into his tray. Jinyoung peeked at the name tag, and saw just a single name Mark.

“So Mark, you’re new here? Haven’t seen you around before,” spoke Jinyoung.

Mark gave a grunt of agreement. He was done with his work, but was unsure of what next to do. A moment of silence hung over the pair, before Mark smiled and took his leave.

Jinyoung was left red-faced in the wake of their interaction. He was never this awkward, but here, Mark left him speechless. Being close up today allowed him to scrutinise Mark’s appearance. Mark had a clear complexion, with a pair of eyes that took one’s attention away. Jinyoung felt a tingling sense within him as Mark exited, could he have a crush on this new guy? It did not help with the smile Mark gave, a toothy grin that radiated innocence.

Jinyoung continued on with his banal browsing on his laptop. Every once in a while, Jinyoung would glance up, trying to catch what Mark was up to. And of course hoping that their eyes would meet once again. But alas, it was not to be, as Mark had his head down frequently, not even once looking into Jinyoung’s direction.

With the skies now clearing up, it was Jinyoung’s time to leave. Clearing his stuff, Jinyoung took one last glimpse at Mark. Mark was busying himself at the coffee machine, back facing Jinyoung. _Well, I’ll be back tomorrow to try my luck again_ , Jinyoung thinks to himself, exiting the glass doors of the café.

 

***

 

The next day dawns, and Jinyoung jolts awake. He was not about to snooze today. There was an encounter in the café to prepare for. Everything seemed to fit nicely today. No crowd in the café, and Mark behind the counter brewing coffee. Jinyoung mentally prepared himself, planning in his mind how to engage Mark in a conversation. His growing crush for the new guy was a going a little fast for Jinyoung’s standards, but he could not help it. Not with the vibe that he was succumbing to.

Jinyoung approaches the counter to collect his order. Mark passes him the tray, and walks away hurriedly. All concentration is lost, Jinyoung forgetting his script as things do not go according to his mental prep. He walks away, dragging his feet to his seat. A note lurks below his order.

_Stop staring, it’s kind of creepy ;D._

Jinyoung giggles to himself, unaware that he had been so enamoured that it was noticeable. He supposes the note could only come from Mark. At least he managed some sort of interaction with his current favourite barista, barring the lack of a conversation. Jinyoung occupied himself with his daily patterns on the laptop, keeping his beating heart still and fluttering mind on task.

Mark’s note remained the only spark on this day. Unless you counted Jinyoung being caught staring frequently, there were not any other meaningful interactions between the two.

Time calls on the café visit. Jinyoung leaves a note on the table, as Mark comes round clearing the tables. Walking towards the door, Jinyoung turned around one last time, ensuring that Mark got the note. A smirk glistened on Jinyoung’s face, with Mark looking into his direction upon acknowledgement of the note.

_Well, I had to get your attention one way or another. ;P_

Jinyoung caught the broadening creases upon Mark’s face.

 

***

 

The cycle in Jinyoung’s life continued, without much fanfare. Jinyoung could not catch Mark that frequently, perhaps just a handful of times he could count with. Mark’s shift did not seem to fit in with Jinyoung’s periodic visits to the café. Sitting upon his usual spot, Jinyoung continued on with his inane drills of seeking employment. It certainly could go better. Jinyoung would soon have to call his parents and ask for money again. That, was something he did not look forward to. The naggings. The admission of his failures. The just desserts for his stubbornness to pursue his dreams, as his sisters would always snide at. This dreary mood just did not go well with the sunny weather outside, nor did it fit with the upbeat and soothing tunes blasting out of the speakers. The contradiction made Jinyoung feel even more out of place, especially when his regular fix of eye candy was not sated. The saying goes that bad things will ebb, with a wave of change bringing things up. Jinyoung could not see it coming anytime soon though. Friends were not exactly being very helpful too, only telling him to be patient, or just brush over his insecurities. _I guess it’s good that I’m living alone now and away from these negative influences_ , thought JInyoung to himself.

Just then, a speck of something slid onto Jinyoung’s shoe. It was a piece of paper. Jinyoung tried figuring out the scribbles on it, making out only a few words.

“Didn’t see you something something.”

 _Crap, this person has some bad handwriting_ , Jinyoung thought to himself as he tried deciphering the rest of the post-it. Curious, he fumbled his fingers under the table, searching for more. There were two other notes, both with equally bad handwriting.

“My recent shifts are all closing shifts, hope to see you something something,” read one.

“Trying to change to more morning shifts,” and the rest were all incorrigible writing that Jinyoung did not understand. Could these notes be from Mark?

The only way to find out would include Jinyoung staying throughout the day in here. Jinyoung grudgingly ordered another drink, yet another reason for his mum to nag at his expenses. Whiling his time away would include reading a book in the confines of the air-conditioned area, with the drink to last him. Drowsiness just had to snake in amidst the reading. Resting his head cozily into his arms upon the table, Jinyoung gave in.

“Mr. J, please wake up. We’re about to close soon.”

Jinyoung was roused up by a gentle voice and tapping on his back. Taking his time to get acclimatised to his surroundings again, the first object that appeared in Jinyoung’s vision was a young man. Rubbing his eyes, it was soon apparent the man in front was Mark.

“Were you really waiting for me? I wouldn’t have woken you up if I did not have to close up the shop. I’ll give you some time to pack up while I clean up the place eh?” the voice continued to soothe Jinyoung’s transition to an awaken state. The voice trailed into a whisper as Mark continued off to other tables.

Jinyoung nodded in agreement and collected himself.

“Your shift’s ending soon? Are you free after this?” the words escaped from Jinyoung’s mouth unknowingly, but spoke of his desire.

Mark turned back. Startled yes, but yet the toothy grin was on full display.

“Sure, why not. Say, give me ten more minutes? You can decide where we could head to.”

Jinyoung sat patiently in his spot, observing Mark in his busyness. Every movement of his slender frame gave Jinyoung more reasons to appreciate Mark. As the saying his pretentious professors would always adhere to, carpe diem, Jinyoung did indeed seized the opportunity. He pinched himself, verifying that this was not just a dream.

“Kajja?” Mark asked, waving his palm in front of Jinyoung.

Jinyoung nodded once again and got up, exiting the café together with Mark.

“So, I haven’t actually gotten your name Mr. J. I’m Mark by the way,” as Mark stretched out his hand.

“I’m Jinyoung. And I kinda figured you were Mark from the name tag,” Jinyoung grinned shyly.

“Hah, yea that’s right. Have you decided where to head to? And would this be considered a date?”

“I guess?” Jinyoung’s cheeks turned rosy, looking away. 

**Author's Note:**

> feeling a bit rusty with writing from such a long break. hopefully this reads alright? enjoy!


End file.
